Hogwarts is a school of witchcraft and wizardry. Not only is it the school that houses the boy who lived, but found within its walls lies a long history of exceeding rates of its students graduating into fine witches and wizards, a success made possible due to the system of creating a family with those you share the most common of likes and dislikes helps improve your comfortability. Those classified as brave are Gryffindor. Those cunning are Slytherin. The knowledgeable are Ravenclaw. The loyal, Hufflepuff.

But, as everything has, there will always be the few who stand out among the crowd. Possibly even more so than Harry Potter himself.


NOT SUITABLE FOR ALL AGES

WARNINGS
Frequent cursing
Mild gore
Mentions of death
Mentions of murder

DISCLAIMER
This is based upon the novel Harry Potter, all rights for the characters and the world they interact inside belong solely to J. K. Rowling. We own nothing but the writing.
Please give credit to those who deserve it. Thank you.


"Maxine! Go get Griffin!"

"On it!"

The young girl's head snaps back when someone grabs her arm, gaze hardened toward whoever might be stalling her mission to find their friend. She doesn't mind the sudden shake of the ground as yet another explosion inside the castle erupts. As if the people fighting didn't care they might bring the entire building down on them. And if that happens, it doesn't matter who wins.

There'd be too many lives lost.

But instead of a growl attempting to kill her, wand needing to be used to survive against the situation being thrown at them when no one deserved this, she only sees her best friend's fearful gaze.

That, and Jace stumbling as many colorful muggle curse words escape his mouth from the tremors.

"Be careful. I need to come back in one piece."

"I need you in one piece as well, Emily."

"And I need you both to fucking worry about mysafety!"

The young adult glares fondly at the two giggling at his plight. Another shake of the ground, this time effecting even the strong Hufflepuff, and Emily gently shoves Maxine to the opening that leads toward the back of the castle.

Because while death-eaters would fight at those in the front, they weren't stupid to not go around the back and attack that way.

"Come on, Jace!"

The muggle born grins before chasing after his friend, yelling as he quickly shoves her to the ground not even a second later to fire a disarming spell on some ugly ass bitch attempting to kill them.

...and they wonder why the idea of just giving the whining bastard of Harry Potter over to the dumbasses was a bad idea.

"Emily, I swear to God if you get your ass killed I will help Maxine bring it back so Griffin can fuck you up!" he yells. A moment passes before his feet are kicked out from under him, the 'Avada Kedavra' spell narrowly missing him as his friend casts a spell of her own to cause the death-eater to fall back.

"Language, Jace," the young woman breathes, scrambling to her feet as they follow before racing toward where the battle was raging the most.

"Come on, we have to get out of here. Moving this to somewhere that's not on a cliff would be the wisest thing anyone has ever had, but apparently it's not being used."

"I suggest he kidnap Harry and they'll follow. The mother fuckers follow him even with how moronic he is."

"He's a miracle. Not to mention a brave yet stupid ball of dragon's dung. I would follow him too if I wasn't worried about how you guys would be effected."

Jace doesn't comment, the Ravenclaw casting spell after spell as death-eaters attempt to pick off everyone around them, both girl and boy saving at least a dozen lives as they sprint to find their friends. Sprint to find their way to safety.

Sprint to save the lives of those who treated them as freaks.

"DUCK!"

The two drop to the ground immediately, watching as a spell speeds past them with fearful eyes to see where exactly it was-

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING! GET AWAY FROM HER!"

The Gryffindor doesn't have any time before she's disarmed before yanked in-front of the Ravenclaw boy she was trying to save, a dangerous glint in his eye as she tries to rip away from him.

"Let me go! You're gonna let her-!"

"She saved your ass, Clair," Jace seethes, glaring fiercely at the little bitch in front of him. The little bitch trying to hurt the woman he's known for eight fucking years.

And unlike Harry fucking goddamn Potter, she never once acted like a true Slytherin. Not, once.

"But she-!"

"JACE!"

Emily carefully shoves the two away before pushing the death-eater that appeared at the end of the hallway back into the open air of the window, zapping the black-abyss forming and sending them racing away to try and attack someone 'easier'.

"We have to go!"

"Don't you fucking cast another goddamn spell at her," the young adult growls, shoving the girl away before racing after his friend.

"Emily, I'm-"

"Thanks."

Emily can't help but brush her tears away when there's only silence from the Ravenclaw she's come to admire so much. Yes he wanted to learn everything he could, and yes he was pretty clever, but that came with a phrase he's described as 'smartassness'.

But even with not being the true member of his house like he's 'supposed' to be, he had undying loyalty toward the three best friends who found themselves inside of Hogwarts.

And that didn't end with the fact everyone who was ever a Slytherin now attacking and killing the students they've lived with for eight years. Even with the fact her own-

Jace forces a death-eater back once more, looking away from his friend to see if there was anyone else. Even his 'fellow' students who might think Emily is trying to help those who want to hurt them. Want to murder them.

"MOM! PLEASE! DON'T-!"

Emily can't even scream as the woman who raised her, loved and cherished and promised she will always be her little girl, fires a fatal spell at her own daughter.

The pain in her chest from a broken heart was nothing compared to the pain she felt as it feels as though a millions knives are stabbed into her skin, invisible blades allowing blood to flow freely as she flies backwards before falling onto the once clean hallway of the castle.

She felt as if her entire body was on fire, but not because she could feel her life leaking away with every second that passes. Not because of the ripping feeling as the magic races away, the person who wanted to kill her leaving without a second thought toward what they did. Not because she was only yet another victim to the meaningless fight that could've been stopped if Voldemort understood just what exactly he was creating instead of power.

The Slytherin felt her life fading away simply because her mother was the one attempting to murder her.

On the bright side, she gave her a chance to survive. To find someone to help. Allowed her to say she would be proud if she managed to be strong enough...

"...LY!"

But no one wanted to help a Slytherin.

"EM...!"

No one thought she would help. Just that she would kill.

"EMILY!"

...Jace?

"EMILY! EMILY TALK TO ME!"

Jace falls to the ground as he removes his cloak, pressing the fabric against the wounds soaking her entire body with warm and sticky blood, staining every inch of her robe, her clothes, the floor.

He couldn't stop it. He couldn't stop it and he never absorbed as much information as he should've about healing these kinds of wounds because he wasn't good enough and he never should've been a Ravenclaw and what was he supposed to do!

"HARPER!"

The Hufflepuff turns toward the yelling voice, gasping at seeing someone bleeding to death in front of a boy she recognized. But, he was never really with someone. Other than-

"HELP ME!"

"Why don't you!"

Jace's tears seem to freeze when the sweet girl stares at him with a soft glare. The sweet girl who never once went close to Emily, but at least didn't glare.

So why, the hell, was the little bitch, NOT HELPING HIM NOW!

"HELP ME!"

"NO!"

The young adult casts another spell before glaring over at the Ravenclaw, gesturing toward the bleeding girl. The bleeding Slytherin.

"She might've been trying to kill us! Betray us! She only wants Harry to get killed! Why else was she locked away! Someone was actually smart enough to try and kill her! And you want to let her stab us all in the back!"

"HER MOM TRIED TO KILL HER! YOU FUCKING ASSHOLE! YOU DICKHEAD! IT WAS HER MOM! AND DON'T YOU FUCKING DARE SAY SHE GODDAMN DESERVED THAT WHEN SHE'S SAVING US! I'M NOT THE RAVENCLAW I'M SUPPOSED TO BE, SO GET YOU ASS OVER HERE AND HELP ME!"

Jace then turns back to Emily, those eyes losing their light every fucking second.

He did this. He did this. If he just listened, and worked harder and was a real Ravenclaw he could help her. But now she was going to die, and Maxine will hate him, and Griffin will kill him, and he won't care because he did this.

"Emily. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry."

Jace, please don't.

"You never deserved this, and I was never supposed to have such a great friend like you."

Jace. Don't say that.

"I goddamn fucked everything up. I'm just a jackass who doesn't know shit and-"

"Jace."

The sobs become a gasp when the raspy voice suddenly fills his eyes. A glance over and the blood flowing away was slowly being absorbed once again, her wounds healing as if by magic.

"...I'm sorry," Harper murmurs. And once she finished with the spell, her light footsteps sprint away to help someone else. But that'd be the only Slytherin she helps. The only one.

"Jace. I-"

Emily gasps in pain as he pulls her into a bone-crushing hug, quickly returning the action as her friend sniffles into her shirt. She didn't care, however. Not when he just saved her life. Not when he finally revealed something he's bottled up inside for so long.

Not when they both needed to know the other was safe.

"Don't fucking screw me over like that."

"I promise."

Jace sniffles before barking out a laugh as two pairs of arms suddenly wrap around him and Emily, Maxine and Griffin allowing their own tears as they melt into their friend's presences.

Safe, sound. In the middle of death and destruction, but at least they were together.

One smartass of a Ravenclaw, a badass of a Hufflepuff, the dickhead of a Gryffindor, and a sweet ass Slytherin who can't do shit when it comes to tricking or harming others. The opposite of what they should be, closer than anyone inside their houses could ever be. Mistaken by what they should be, born to be.

But that's because we're not what we seem.